Thanks to new buttersoft styles you can… Luxe up lockdown in leather

You may have noticed ‘trend’ is now a dirty word in fashion. Trends are transient, so bad not just for the planet but for budgets, too.

We want pieces with style longevity, that can be worn from one season into the next. Designers, high end and High Street alike, seem to have agreed, over the past year, that leather ticks all these boxes. A sophisticated, soft leather jacket works with just about everything, and looks equally good layered up in winter or over a white T-shirt in summer.

But we are not just talking coats and footwear, we are talking leather everything: culottes, trousers, shirts, dresses, skirts, even scrunchies. Some may argue leather isn’t an ideal working-from-home fabric, but that’s no longer true. See the buttery soft pair of leather trousers from Me and Em or the nappa leather culottes with side pockets from Massimo Dutti.

Dresses and skirts have also been updated to take comfort into account. If leather pencils are your thing, head to Marks & Spencer, which has a stylish front-split version in white. If not, look to the leather wrap-skirt from Whistles, in dark green or burgundy. Last winter’s dark leather thing has turned into something more feminine and wearable. Red and brown is popular in leather, so save up for Whistles burgundy midi dress.    

Spring/summer collections will offer more pastel shades. If you feel like lightening things up, Mango is a good starting point. Try the faux leather shirt dress in yellow (above) or if you feel brave, shorts in dusty pink (£29.99, mango.com).

Style advice used to be to avoid a top-to-toe leather look, but not so this winter. If you want to draw inspiration from Gigi Hadid ofn the Fendi catwalk (tan leather jacket, skirt, boots and bag), go for it.

Finally, let’s talk about faux leather —many find it more ethically acceptable, not to mention affordable. Advances in fabric technology mean ‘leather-look’ should mean just that. There is no reason faux leather can’t look as matte or feel as buttery soft as the real thing. But if there’s a hint of wipe-clean, ‘pleather’ shine, it doesn’t deserve a place in your wardrobe.